MASSIVE PAIR OF CAPARISONED LIONS ON PEDESTALS.

19th-early 20th century, China. Nephrite or jadeite: light yellow-green of uneven, patchy character with black metallic specks. Associated with the quality of strength, and emblem of the clan to which the Historical Buddha belonged, lions became a popular subject of sculpture in the post-Han period when Buddhism was spreading throughout China. Since, as Thompson has written, “lions are a species known historically to the Chinese only by hearsay or perhaps through an occasional example presented to the Imperial zoo as tribute from foreign lands” (Thompson, p. 29), Chinese artists based their visual concept of “lion” on Indian art examples as well as descriptions of the creatures’ attributed character, arriving at a physical form which has proven satisfactory for successive centuries of artists and public. A single lion serves as the vehicle of the Buddhist figure Wen Shu (CTAP, p. 12), but traditionally lions in east Asian art appear in pairs, set to either side of entrances into important buildings of both religious and secular nature, and in front of throne or altar complexes, a practice possibly dated as early as the second century a.d. (Thompson, p. 30). One of the pair, the male, holds a ball beneath his right front paw, and the other, the female, plays with a cub beneath her left front paw. There are implications of fertility and hope for advancement in official position implicit in the pair and their associated attributes (Thompson, pp. 41-2). Ideally the male should be larger than the female to properly convey the symbolic message, but often they are of similar size, forming a symmetrical pair. Raised on shaped, cloth-draped, and pearl-banded plinths, these massive (each 176 lbs., 90 kg.) lions from the Yangtze River Collection assume the usual stances. The male puts his right forepaw on a ball, the female her left paw on the belly of a small lion cub. Based on prototypes associated with early Chinese Buddhist art and spirit paths, the creatures are seated on their haunches and are fierce in appearance, with snarling faces, tensed paws and strong, aggressively-thrusting chests. As with Six Dynasties, Sui, and Tang examples, the musculature of the beasts is exaggerated and the beasts are ready to attack evil doers who wish to pass by them (Colnaghi, p. 377, a ceramic lion of the 6th century; Barling 2, p. 9, a ceramic Wei period lion; Oster, a jade Six Dynasties example; Mayuyama, p. 22, a Sui stone lion; AAA, p. 59, fig. 5, a painted ceramic. Tang lion; and Ellsworth, p. 232, a marble Tang example). The powerful pose and intense mood of this pair are countered by the decorative touch of beautifully-arranged eyebrows, beards, and manes, the hairs of which are layered into careful rows of curling tufts, and also by the tasseled necklace with a large bell suspended at the front. As is usual with Chinese animal sculptures which recur over the centuries, later lion pairs become more fanciful, bedecked with decorative attributes and the two associations of ball and cub (Sparks, p. 369, a late Ming stoneware pair; Munsterberg 2, p. 105, a gilt bronze 15th century example; ROM, a Ming jade). The draped plinth, as illustrated here, is a form associated with many later lion pairs executed in ceramic, cloisonne, and metals as well as hard stone materials (Butterfield, #800, a 19th century cloisonne pair). Often the lions of later periods are less convincing as guardians, becoming subverted into playful, Pekinese-like creatures (Mitchell, #22, 23, 53), the “Fu”-dogs of bookends designed for tourists. Reference: The Yangtze River Collection, Later Chinese Jades published by Helga Wall-Apelt, 1993. SIZE: 25.5″ x 9.75″ x 13.25″. (64.8 x 24.8 x 33.7 cm.) CONDITION: Very good with light pitting. 9-95539 (500-700) – Lot 52

Auction: FAAA - Wall-Apelt Collection - March 2015

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	52	$3,318.00	MASSIVE PAIR OF CAPARISONED LIONS ON PEDESTALS. 19th-early 20th century, China. Nephrite or jadeite: light yellow-green of uneven, patchy character with black metallic specks. Associated with the quality of strength, and emblem of the clan to which the Historical Buddha belonged, lions became a popular subject of sculpture in the post-Han period when Buddhism was spreading throughout China. Since, as Thompson has written, “lions are a species known historically to the Chinese only by hearsay or perhaps through an occasional example presented to the Imperial zoo as tribute from foreign lands” (Thompson, p. 29), Chinese artists based their visual concept of “lion” on Indian art examples as well as descriptions of the creatures’ attributed character, arriving at a physical form which has proven satisfactory for successive centuries of artists and public. A single lion serves as the vehicle of the Buddhist figure Wen Shu (CTAP, p. 12), but traditionally lions in east Asian art appear in pairs, set to either side of entrances into important buildings of both religious and secular nature, and in front of throne or altar complexes, a practice possibly dated as early as the second century a.d. (Thompson, p. 30). One of the pair, the male, holds a ball beneath his right front paw, and the other, the female, plays with a cub beneath her left front paw. There are implications of fertility and hope for advancement in official position implicit in the pair and their associated attributes (Thompson, pp. 41-2). Ideally the male should be larger than the female to properly convey the symbolic message, but often they are of similar size, forming a symmetrical pair. Raised on shaped, cloth-draped, and pearl-banded plinths, these massive (each 176 lbs., 90 kg.) lions from the Yangtze River Collection assume the usual stances. The male puts his right forepaw on a ball, the female her left paw on the belly of a small lion cub. Based on prototypes associated with early Chinese Buddhist art and spirit paths, the creatures are seated on their haunches and are fierce in appearance, with snarling faces, tensed paws and strong, aggressively-thrusting chests. As with Six Dynasties, Sui, and Tang examples, the musculature of the beasts is exaggerated and the beasts are ready to attack evil doers who wish to pass by them (Colnaghi, p. 377, a ceramic lion of the 6th century; Barling 2, p. 9, a ceramic Wei period lion; Oster, a jade Six Dynasties example; Mayuyama, p. 22, a Sui stone lion; AAA, p. 59, fig. 5, a painted ceramic. Tang lion; and Ellsworth, p. 232, a marble Tang example). The powerful pose and intense mood of this pair are countered by the decorative touch of beautifully-arranged eyebrows, beards, and manes, the hairs of which are layered into careful rows of curling tufts, and also by the tasseled necklace with a large bell suspended at the front. As is usual with Chinese animal sculptures which recur over the centuries, later lion pairs become more fanciful, bedecked with decorative attributes and the two associations of ball and cub (Sparks, p. 369, a late Ming stoneware pair; Munsterberg 2, p. 105, a gilt bronze 15th century example; ROM, a Ming jade). The draped plinth, as illustrated here, is a form associated with many later lion pairs executed in ceramic, cloisonne, and metals as well as hard stone materials (Butterfield, #800, a 19th century cloisonne pair). Often the lions of later periods are less convincing as guardians, becoming subverted into playful, Pekinese-like creatures (Mitchell, #22, 23, 53), the “Fu”-dogs of bookends designed for tourists. Reference: The Yangtze River Collection, Later Chinese Jades published by Helga Wall-Apelt, 1993. SIZE: 25.5″ x 9.75″ x 13.25″. (64.8 x 24.8 x 33.7 cm.) CONDITION: Very good with light pitting. 9-95539 (500-700) – Lot 52 Auction: FAAA - Wall-Apelt Collection - March 2015 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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MASSIVE PAIR OF CAPARISONED LIONS ON PEDESTALS.